1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a computer program, used for the display of a schema.
2. Description of the Related Art
Before medical documents such as charts and image diagnostic reports were made electronically available, doctors used to draw a schema by hand on a paper-based medical document. The term “schema” generally refers to a “diagrammatic illustration” or “sketch”. In the field of medicine, however, the term “schema” refers to a diagram representing a structure of a predetermined part of a human body. In recent years, medical information systems, such as a hospital information system (HIS) and a picture archiving and communication system (PACS), have become increasingly widespread. As these medical information systems have become widespread, medical documents are gradually being made electronically available. That is, medical support apparatuses capable of using information equipment to electronically generate and display medical documents (e.g., charts and image diagnostic reports) that otherwise used to be drawn by hand by doctors, are beginning to be used, which apparatuses are further capable of communicating with other medical information systems.
During generation of an electronic medical document, text can typically be relatively easily input using a keyboard. Also, graphics of many shapes can be drawn by manipulating an input device, such as a mouse or tablet. Then, loci drawn by manipulating such an input device can be input as line drawing information. However, generation of a schema typically involves drawing of a human body structure having a fairly complex shape, and thus cannot be easily made using a mouse or tablet.
Accordingly, a medical support apparatus may store many templates of schema images (hereinafter each such template is referred to as a “basic schema”) in advance, and allow a doctor to select a basic schema therefrom. After selecting a basic schema, the doctor draws, on the selected basic schema, a simple graphic representing an affected area. Thus, a schema can be relatively easily generated thereby.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-181146 proposes a technique in which a shape of an anatomic structure (e.g., an organ) of a subject is estimated from a medical image, and the estimated shape is compared with a shape of an anatomic structure represented by a basic schema. When a doctor specifies a position of an affected area on the medical image, the corresponding position on the basic schema can be displayed. Thus, a graphic representing the affected area can be drawn at an appropriate position on the basic schema.
The proposed technique allows easy use of a schema on an electronic chart. The use of a schema may be advantageous in that a positional relationship between a body part and an affected area can be clearly presented to the doctor. However, there may be a disadvantage in that since information about the affected area can only be presented as a simple graphic, it may be difficult to obtain detailed information about the affected area from the schema.
With the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-181146, when a doctor specifies a position of an affected area on a medical image, the corresponding position on a basic schema can be displayed. Therefore, the affected area can be drawn relatively accurately only in terms of the position of the affected area. However, this technique may only allow a position specified on a medical image by a doctor to be displayed on a schema, and may not allow detailed information about an affected area to be presented to the doctor.
Detailed information about an affected area may be recorded as a medical image (e.g., roentgen image, X-ray computerized tomography (CT) image, positron emission tomography (PET) image, or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image). Since a basic schema is an image that is not dependent on a specific patient, a medical image and a basic schema are given as different images. Therefore, when a doctor wants to obtain detailed information about an affected area, it may be necessary to refer to the medical image separately from the basic schema. However, if the doctor refers to the medical image and the basic schema separately, it may not be possible to take advantage of the schema to clearly present a positional relationship between a body part and an affected area to the doctor.